We live in a world of seeming chaos, in which each new day greets us with another unfathomable news story and fresh reminders of how this world is ultimately out of our personal control. We humans have developed various disorders in a vain attempt to order our world, such as anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Others of us turn to grammar. Our semi-arbitrary set of rules we impose on the world are a way of curbing the anarchy. We know that if people would simply say “could have” rather than “could of,” the Gauls and Goths won’t break down our doors just yet.

And so, I bring to you a public service announcement regarding dashes, those little lines that no one is taught how to use anymore. Do we use dashes – despite our lack of knowledge about them, or do we use dashes—despite our lack of knowledge about them. It is the latter.

How will the church of Jesus Christ respond when the things that the church must believe are considered laughable, backwards, or worse?

It’s always been the case that Christianity has been derided by some. But now it’s not just people in far off Hollywood or in far away academia. It’s people next door. It’s the people you work with, the people you live with, the people you go to school with. How will the church of Jesus Christ respond when so many of those around us tell us that what we believe is repugnant? What will we do when we are the moral minority?

It is hard to know who is and who is not a charismatic these days. In fact, it seems to be quite a theological novelty to call oneself charismatic. However, when one person says they are “charismatic” it may not mean what you think it means.

When I associate the term “charismatic” with Christians, there are six primary things that come to mind. Any or all of these could be present in my thinking when I use the word.